


We Can’t All Be Heroes.

by LulutheLazy



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Deceit is an Evil boy, Eventual Familial Lamp - Freeform, Heckin fluffy, Hero!Logan, Hero!Patton, Hero!Roman, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Non sympathetic Deceit, Onions have layers, Patton loves Virgil, Villain!Deceit, Villain!Virgil, but he has his reasons, but his boyfriends don’t, but mostly moxiety fluff, tw abuse, tw blood, tw falling, tw mind control, tw oc death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:43:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19120141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LulutheLazy/pseuds/LulutheLazy
Summary: Patton finds himself intrigued by a spunky little villain after fighting him in an alley way and realizing that he’s just a kid. His boyfriends,however, can’t see past the villain persona and worry their love will be hurt by a monster in disguise. Despite that Patton manages to reach out to Virgil but there’s a lot more at stake for the kid than he could ever suspect.





	1. Not Everyone’s a Villain either

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if there’s anything else I need to leave a warning for in the tags!! And tell me if you like it!! I Need sum praiiiisseee :p also I know a lot of people have already done a super hero AU so if I touch on anything you have written and or someone else has without meaning to just let me know and I’ll delete it!! TW in this chapter include falling,fighting, injuries, crying and chasing. Virgil is called Shadow in the first chapter but it’s definitely him :3

Patton almost screamed as he saw his quickly shot burst of panic smack into Shadow with an unintended amount of force that knocked the villain off the mighty swirl of air they were propelling themselves on. The deep crackles of thunder and painful flashes of white hot lightning that had been bursting steadily from the bruised purple clouds, sharply twisting around Shadow like a tornado, dissipated within moments of the hit landing painfully to the middle of their creator’s chest.

Shadow sank like a heavy stone and Patton felt fear tear apart his stomach as the villain plummeted through the air. He used everything he had in him to reach the law’s frequent offender, before they reached the unforgiving pavement of Toby Street. The looming skyscrapers blurred into harsh grays and the bright blue sky received no attention as the hero kept his eyes trained on the falling black hoodie. The garment that completely swamped the villain, always having kept Shadow’s identity dutifully hidden, came within ten feet of reaching the ground, along with the person who wore it.

He reached his arms out and for a moment he saw Shadow fall in to them and was relieved.

And then Sentiment was weighed down harshly, into the rough cement by an armful of tiny villain. He felt the wind puff out with a “whoosh” from his deflating lungs. His head whirled. Everything was blurry. The scratches on his back stung from road rash but not enough, however, for the cold silent tears he was feeling on his skin to be his. He lethargically raised his head from the ground and looked down at the person on his torso. For a minute all Sentiment registered was utter shock. Palace City’s newest and scariest threat was… a teenage boy. A panicking, harshly breathing, crying teenage boy. Uh oh. 

“Hey hey sweetheart calm down, calm down. You’re ok I got you.”

Patton tried to use his softest voice possible, which was easy since he was still having a hard time getting air and yet, the boy’s head snapped up with a snarl. It had previously been resting on the hero’s stomach, as was the rest of him, but now he had shot up and scrambled a good ten feet away from the superhero. Patton pushed himself up fully into a sitting position and they studied each other as a cool breeze wafted through the partially destroyed street. As the kid’s eyes scrutinized him, Patton took the time to notice a full head of loose black curls, smooth skin contrasting against dark coal that had been smudged liberally over two misty purple eyes, and a thin mouth that belied grinding teeth in it’s jumping jaw muscles.

The boy wasn’t thin but he was rather short and stocky. Nonetheless, the hero’s fatherly side urged him to feed the kiddo and hopefully fill out his haunted, gaunt face. 

Perhaps feeling Sentiment’s gaze upon him Shadow jumped upright and stumbled over weary feet as he fought to put distance between himself and the man who had nearly killed him. Patton shoved off the pavement harshly and followed in a passionate pursuit. The poor baby needs my help. The poor baby needs my help. Shadow whipped his head around as he heard the supers’s winded breaths behind him. He hissed and created a snowball by crushing his fist. Flurries surrounded him as he pelted the frozen object at the man behind him. Patton gasped as slush splashed over his blue spandex tracksuit. Ok, the angry baby needs my help. 

Inevitably, after three right turns into trash ridden alleyways, Shadow found himself caught between a chain link fence and a gasping, pink faced man. He snarled and desperately sought an escape, because as afraid as he was of superheroes, he really didn’t want to hurt this freckled, innocent looking man. He was decked out in powder blue and heart shaped glasses for heaven's sakes! Finding nowhere to go he began to prepare himself for a painful defeat. Pressing against the shadowed brick wall to his left he couldn’t help but fearfully watch as his enemy came closer. 

Sentiment felt his eyes begin to burn at the sheer terror the young kiddo clearly tried to keep off his face. He didn’t ever have to be scared of nice ol’ Patton. 

“Hey kiddo.”

“HISS!”

Well gosh diddly darn it. 

“It’s alright love, I just want to make sure you’re feeling ok, that was quite a fall.”

Shadow’s face morphed into indignation, albeit still cautious.

“You were the one who threw me from the sky.”

Patton winced. He awkwardly adjusted his heart shaped eye mask. 

“About that… I wanted to say sorry! It was an accident and I’m really sorry if I hurt you!”

The kid looked at him in disbelief. The hero was apologizing? For attempting to take out a villain destroying his city? Sounds fake.

“You’re not hurt are you?”

Shadow shook his head no, slowly, still not believing he got an apology and wasn’t on his way to prison.

“Well buddy, you look pretty young to be a villain, why don’t you tell me how you got in to that?”

Shadow gave him the most unimpressed look he could muster. As if he would tell this man anything! He saw now that the kindness was a tactic, a trick!Wasn’t it always.

“Ok, ok, I can see you don’t want to answer that.”

He looked around for anyway out of the situation but promptly flicked his eyes up in a suspicious glare at the next question.

“Can we still be friends?”

The hopeful look on the man’s face caused him to automatically nod his head but immediately regret it. He growled to himself. What was he thinking!

“Great! Here’s my phone number! Call me if you ever want to hangout!”

Patton hoped by becoming buddies with this young man, eventually, he would save him from this villainous life and help him find something safer to do with his powers and time. The boy probably just needed a mentor! 

Shadow took the number with numb hands and a cautiously warmed chest. A hero wanted to be friends? He felt a smile reach across his face at the curly numbers and heart at the end of them. He shook his head. That was quite enough interaction with superheroes for one day. As Sentiment turned around to put his pen back in his pocket, he felt a whoosh of cold air.

He snapped his head up but Shadow was already gone.


	2. The Super Boyfriends Don’t Agree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton tells Roman and Logan about a certain baby villain. They are promptly placed into overprotective mode concerning Patton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helllllooooooo! I’m back!
> 
> Thank you for the comments I loved them!!!
> 
> Tw: fighting (only a tiny bit verbally) agitation, news coverage of fighting(physically) mentions of threats, death, and fighting. And some light telepathic communication.

“Logan! Roman! I know who Shadow is!”

Both men shot up from where they had been watching the news coverage of the newest villain’s rampage. They rushed over to their lover with great exhales of relief. Patton giggled at all the affectionate hugs he was getting. The sound was like music to their ears. They hadn’t known where Patton had gone until they saw the footage and by then they began to fear for the worst. The panic they had felt was palpable and truth be told, if they ever met Shadow, he wouldn’t come out of the encounter unscathed.

“Patton, why would you attempt to fight him yourself!”

Patton grinned sheepishly at Logan’s question. Honestly, he had snuck out while his husbands had been asleep because he had heard sirens. He loved his boys but they were sometimes (always) over protective. He needed a chance to feel like a hero again. Not a sidekick.

“I didn’t want to wake you guys up! You looked so cozy!”

Roman and Logan exchanged a look of exasperation. Their Patton could have died because they looked “cozy”. 

“Anyways! I know who Shadow is!”

Patton beamed down at them with a look of pure pride. Logan and Roman had to admit, they were intrigued. And whilst they were still steaming, they couldn’t wipe off the rare self-satisfied grin on their man’s face even if the world depended on it. Which it kinda did, because he was their world.

“Well,” Roman prompted “Who is it?”

“Ok well I don’t really know his name...but I do know that he’s just a small teenage boy! He can’t be older than seventeen!”

Logan’s brows furrowed in disbelief. Their number one target was an adolescent? This seemed highly unlikely, and yet…he supposed it seemed much younger now that he had almost reached his thirties. After all, they had all started fighting at nineteen.

Roman pursed his lips. This vile villainous BRUTE was nothing but a hormonal teenager! How could he ethically beat up a teenager! Oh that’s right, he can’t! This definitely put a wrench in his plans to destroy him and end his harrowing chase with a long smoldering kiss between him and his partners. All the while his glorious fire would be painting a backdrop for their epic battle and the doomed cries of the man he had dubbed “Emo Nightmare”.

Patton watched his husbands ponder his amazing revelation. Maybe now is the time to tell them that he gave the kiddo his number and was going to meet up with him! 

“Hey fellas?”

They both turned their heads toward Patton, Logan having telepathically communicated that under no circumstances would their husband be allowed to see this little twerp again to Roman. He wholeheartedly agreed. No matter his age, he was dangerous, and Patton fell for any suffering face. 

“I gave him my number and we’re going to hang out. I think I could really help him!”

Logan paled and Roman rapidly shook his head. The kid had their number! He could contact their innocent boy and lure him into a trap! Patton took in their weary faces and couldn’t help but feel a bit upset. This kid needed him. He could feel it and their urge to shield him couldn’t, no, wouldn’t get in the way of that.

“Patton-”

“-No. Don’t try to talk me down without giving him a chance. You’ll see, everyone has a grain of good in them. I’m going to find it.”


	3. Our Villain Has Something to Say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waiting for weeks, Patton begins to give up hope that his little villain will ever get in contact with him. But then he receives a message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE YOU GUYS!   
> Your comments are so beautiful and sweet and I reread every single one so keep them coming! ♥️
> 
> TW: Vandalism, spray painting, perceived rejection (only for a little), and undetailed description of a penis and oral sex.

Patton had pretty much given up hope after the second week. There hadn’t been any activity from Shadow. And he hadn’t deigned to call him either. The super couldn’t help but feel rejected. He knew he had gotten his hopes up but…it hadn’t occurred to him that he would just never call. He supposed not everyone wanted to be saved. That was until Wednesday afternoon. He had gotten a very gruff and short message that his kiddo was going to be in the alley next to Picani Street. If Patton wanted to see him tag some walls, he could come.

Despite the illegal activity that he was sure was devised to put him off, Patton couldn’t wait and rushed out of their spacious bungalow without so much as a goodbye. As he skipped all the way down the five blocks to his designated street, he put on his tinted glasses. He couldn’t give away his full identity just yet, lest he give Logan and Roman a heart attack. As he turned the last corner he saw a teenage boy wearing a black T-shirt, ripped jeans, a beanie, and purple converse. While he wasn’t using his powers, it turned out that the kid’s eyes were the color of a fawn. A lovely bright brown.

Patton became even more solidified in his decision. This adorable strange son deserved help. Shadow looked surprised and maybe a little pleased when he saw that Patton had actually shown up. He quickly schooled his face into something resembling aloofness. He sneered, thinking he looked scary, but Patton just noticed his tiny little nose scrunching up. Adorable.

“So, are you ready to deface some public property?”

The super grimaced, but he had to respect a young boy’s passions!

“Sure! I bet you’re a great artist kiddo!”

Shadow fought off a blush. 

“I’m..I’m not an artist! I’m a vandal!”

Patton looked amused and simply smiled fondly at how touchy the little guy was. Shadow quickly jogged over to his nap sack of spray cans. Turquoise, peach, violet, tourmaline pink, scarlett, pumpkin, silver, and mint green all came out of the bag, much to Patton’s delight. 

“Did you make these?” He said in quiet awe “I’ve never seen spray paint in such pretty colors.”

Shadow fought off another blush. What was with this guy and complimenting him? I mean sure it felt nice. No one ever took interest in anything but his powers but...that must mean there was a catch. Right?

“I mean, like it’s hard? I just have to mix acrylic paint, add water, then put it in an empty can.”

Patton squealed, “You know how to do that? You’re so talented!”

Why did that feel so good? Why did he suddenly crave that proud look this man was sharing with him. Why did he want to do more things to earn it? He wanted to brag about how much he had improved his art after living in a big empty warehouse with little to do. He wanted those kind eyes to light up and look at him in rapt attention again. Stop it! Don’t get attached! 

He coughed awkwardly and began to tape up his cut out stencils, made of cardboard he had found and his x-acto knife he kept tapped to his ankle. As he began to fill in the blank spaces he felt Sentiment watching him. He was uncomfortable but also displayed an undercurrent of mischievousness as he waited for the man to realize what it was.

Half an hour of quietly directing the hyperactive superhero where to add what color and an extra ten minutes of careful layering by Shadow and they were done. He leaned against the opposite wall and tried to guess what Seniment’s face looked like right now. He had told himself that by pissing him off, he would get him to leave Shadow alone. But honestly? He really wanted the hero to like it, despite his previous intentions. He tensed as the man turned around. He prepared himself to run but was quickly stopped short by the hysterical laughter coming from Sentiment. He had fat tears rolling down his face and clutched his sides as he wheezed for breath. Shadow watched for a moment in fascination but soon joined, albeit with smaller snickers.

“I can’t believe I just helped you paint that!” 

Patton gasped between his dying chuckles, and looked at the picture of a cartoonish superhero that greatly resembled Roman actually, leaning in to...kiss.. a crude depiction of a man’s genitals. Inscribed underneath was the pun, “Superheroes suck”.

Shadow began to cackle and soon his false laugh crumbled away into the sweet laughter of child. Free and full and sounding as if there wasn’t a care in the world to trouble himself with. Patton squealed at the cute laugh that completely belied the dirty art it’s owner’s mind had created. The next thing they knew, they were both rolling around on the greasy alley floor trying to calm their hysterics. 

“Sorry ‘bout that Superdude.”

As they caught their breath, the older man decided to take a leap of faith. 

“You can call me Patton kiddo.”

Shadow’s eyes pierced through him, as if rebuking him for such a misstep. He turned and looked at where their outstretched hands were nearly touching. Fuck it. It’s not like he was anyone anymore.

“Virgil.”

“What?”

“My name is Virgil.”

Patton positively glowed. And as they began going their separate ways, walking in opposite directions, with nothing more than begrudging promise to meet again, he couldn’t help but think. Virgil. S’a good name for a good kid.


End file.
